Project Self, which helps county low-income students get foot in the door, turns 30
Felix had been given a paid internship at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, a law firm near Fashion Island, through Project Youth OC's Project Self program.
The location was just a few miles away, but it was a different world for Felix, who grew up in a two-bedroom home with 17 relatives and often slept on the floor.
He would walk to lunch at his new job, which also provided different experiences.
'When I got there and I was there for a while now, they were like, 'Let's go to Red Robin. It's across the street,'' Felix recalled. 'I was like, Red Robin? What is that? They were just like, 'Where is this guy from?''
Felix did more than fit in, he thrived. He bought a futon bed with his first paycheck, and gave $100 to his mom for groceries.
He worked hard and the Newport Beach firm offered him a part-time job after the internship was over.
Felix may have had to borrow a tie from the neighbor down the street for his internship interview, but he ended up with the firm for 15 years, eventually being promoted to accounting supervisor.
'That program just changed everything for me,' said Felix, now 39, married and the father of two children. He bought a house not far from Diamond Elementary, Carr Intermediate and Valley High, all the schools he attended growing up.
He was the keynote speaker at the recent Project Self graduation and 30-year anniversary celebration, held at The Turnup Rose in Costa Mesa. That's the city where Felix now works. He moved over to another law firm, Latham & Watkins LLP, in 2018 where he is the firm's billing supervisor.
Laura Marcum, the executive director at Project Youth OC, smiles and laughs as she hears about Felix's journey.
'The stories like Jesus, there are several where the transformation is incredible,' Marcum said. 'Because the organization has existed for 55 years, we're able to see that generational impact, that ripple effect of, 'where are they now?''
Project Self still works with county law firms but now seeks to pair students with other corporations as well. Marcum said there's been a long-standing tie with the Santa Ana Unified School District.
This year, for the first time in the 30-year history, the program also expanded to offer placements to Anaheim Union High School District students and Newport-Mesa Unified School District students.
She said that Project Youth OC is prevention focused and family-centered.
'We are helping youth develop a sense of agency,' said Marcum, who joined the organization last year following the departure of longtime executive director Karen Ruan. 'We're empowering them. We're not spoon-feeding or hand-holding anyone, we are opening doors and then ensuring that they are guided and confident enough to walk through them with their head held high. We want them to feel a sense of dignity, a sense of accomplishment.'
Those who wish to become internship partners, volunteer or donate can visit pyoc.org.
Felix tells everyone that he doesn't know where he would be without Project Self, which this year partnered with 37 law firm that took on 43 interns.
'The community needs help,' he said. 'Programs like this, they go a long way. They really do. It's not that our parents don't push us, it's more like, 'Hey, I'm working, you've got to figure out what you need to do.'
'This thing just opened a lot of doors. And the relationships I've built throughout my years? I mean, I can send an email right now to a CFO, to directors, and they're there. They know who I am. That's something crazy to think about.'
The Latham & Watkins office is on the 20th floor of a large building. Go up one more floor and there's a conference room. Even on a hazy weekday morning, Felix can look across and see the buildings of Fashion Island, where he got his start.
'The cars down there, I'd go to lunch and see a Ferrari, a Bentley,' Felix said. 'I would take my friends to Fashion Island on my days off, on the weekends.
'I'd be like, 'Hey, let's go to Fashion Island, there's a Red Robin over there, man.''
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